Somali National Army

The Somali National Army is the army of Somalia, founded in 1960. The military was expanded under the rule of dictator Siad Barre, who gained supplies from the United States so that he could fight against communist Ethiopia. However, the military began to dissolve in 1988, and the armed forces had been dissolved by the time of Siad's overthrow in 1991. Somalia was torn apart during the 1990s and 2000s, with warlords fighting each other for power. It took foreign intervention to restore order, and the SNA was restored in 2006 after the Islamic Courts Union was ousted from power. The SNA had 20,000 military personnel in September 2016, and the Somali National Army fought against al-Shabaab across the country. However, the military was unable to restore order in all parts of the country, as al-Shabaab retained power in southern Somalia.